Basking Shark – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

August 11, 2025August 14, 2025

Dorothy Holley: Basking Sharks, Great Shearwaters, and Phronima Amphipods, Oh My! August 9, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Date: August 9, 2025

Weather Data from Bridge:
Latitude: 4118.447 N
Longitude: 06649.365 W
Relative Wind speed: 17
Wind Direction: 314
Air Temperature: 18.8
Sea Surface Temperature: 18.979
Barometric Pressure: 1022.28
Speed Over Ground: 8.7
Water Conductivity: 4.348
Water Salinity: 32.04

closer view of a great shearwater in flight, as seen from above. we can make out the dark head, white throat, patterned back. the water is rippled blue and white.

a great shearwater, visible only as a silhouette, swoops low over calm waters reflecting an orange sunset

a great shearwater swoops low over calm blue waters

side view of great shearwater in flight; we can see its white underside well. it flies above calm waters reflecting a blue and pink sunset.

Photos of Great Shearwaters in flight by Cameron Cox, NOAA Seabird and Marine Wildlife Observer

First, A blog-reader texted me to say that it looked like I was having fun! Yes, while NOTHING could be more fun than your birthday party, Teacher-At-Sea is at the top of the list of fun teacher-things to do! I hope that ALL teachers, especially those from North Carolina, will apply to be a NOAA Teacher at Sea as we continue to grow strong STEM ecosystems while helping our communities make informed decisions. Thanks for reading Elaine!

Second, an answer to last BLOG’s math problem: If 1 knot = 1.15 mph, and the ship is traveling 8 knots, a stop 15 miles away will take us a little over 1 and a half hours (about 1.6 hours) to reach.

a woman sits in an observation chair on the flying bridge — Allison Black, NOAA Seabird and Marine Wildlife Observer

Science at Sea

Animal monitoring is an active part of our floating weather station. A dolphin sighting texted through WhatsApp brings lots of off duty folks up to see. The NOAA Corps on the bridge keep a constant vigil to make sure we don’t hit a whale. But the “Seabird and Marine Mammal Observers” are a functional part of our Science team. They spend their daylight hours on the Flying Bridge scanning the horizon and recording their findings. The species, group size, and photos are catalogued and stored for long term monitoring. This data can be used to estimate bird and mammal abundance in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean now as well as set baseline data through AMAPPS (Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species). NOAA Scientists are conducting surveys and developing abundance and distribution models to better understand how protected species such as whales, dolphins, and sea turtles use our waters. (Read more here)

illustration of a NOAA vessel in the ocean; nearby are silhouettes of birds in flight and marine mammals swimming — *Diagram of an observer on the flying bridge a NOAA ship looking for seabirds and marine mammals.*
*Credit: Su Kim, NOAA Fisheries*

Career Spotlight

Cameron Cox has been able to turn his love of birdwatching into a career. As a Seabird and Marine Mammal Observer Scientist on NOAA Ship Pisces, he can be found on the Flying Bridge during the daylight hours.

portrait of a man wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, banana around nectk, sitting at a wooden table on the deck of NOAA Ship Oregon II. a closed laptop and a fancy camera sit on the table. — Cameron Cox, NOAA Seabird and Marine Wildlife Observer

Cameron’s passion for birding kinda snuck up on him. He remembers hiking with a neighborhood friend who had started birdwatching for a hobby. At age 13, Cameron was hooked. Since he was homeschooled, Cameron was able to carve out time to pursue this new interest. He spent his 20’s traveling around the United States looking at birds. He had a 2-thousand-dollar car and 6-thousand dollars worth of optics – binoculars, camera, and spotting scope.

Cameron explained to me that the long term monitoring projects are hard for Universities and non government organization (NGOs) to fund, which is why our NOAA work is so valuable. The data sets are free and readily available to everyone. Unfortunately, when the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill decimated the Gulf Coast, there wasn’t baseline data available for recovery and accountability. He was able to assist in creating possible baseline data by performing Seabird and Marine Observations off the coast of Florida, a similar ecosystem.

These days, Cameron leads birdwatching tours in what he calls “Environmental Entertainment.” He loves watching others connect with the importance of the natural world, and hopes to help them become conservationists. Cameron has also published two books, Terns of North American: a Photographic Guide, and a Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching: Eastern Waterbirds in Flight, co-written with Ken Behrens. Writing at the rate of one book a decade, his ongoing projects will ensure he has a long life! This is Cameron’s first time being a Seabird and Marine Mammal observer with NOAA. We hope it is not his last!

the silhouette of a bird banks low above the water, reflecting a firey sunset — Wilson’s Storm Petrel. Photo by Cameron Cox.

Interesting Things: The Seabird and Marine Mammal Scientist Observers onboard are monitoring lots of animals specifically, but there are other animals we are studying or just find in our nets.

top down view of a blue crab resting in a white bucket containing a couple inches of water

a blue crab rests in the corner of a large red bin, filled with a few inches of water

Engineer Drew found this crab in our sea strainers (they strain the water used around the engines). ET Alex named her Crustacina (spelt like crustacean, but pronounced like Cristina). We will keep her on-board until we can get to more shallow waters for release.

NOAA Scientists are collaborating with a group in Miami to study ocean acidification on pteropods’ shells. The phronima amphipod (see video below) inspired the movie alien. They commandeer a salp, eat the flesh, and then lay eggs in the empty pouch.

Phronima amphipod (left) and salp pouch (right)

For 50 years….. Basking Shark Videoed by ENS Keene-Connole

close-up view of a small fish on a petri dish

microscope set up, with petri dishes and pipettes nearby

A microscope is always ready to check out the latest find!

Personal Log

Have you heard of or participated in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC)? Started in 1900 by 27 dedicated birders, this GOAT Citizen Science Project provides long term data sets that help conservation biologists of all forms study long term bird health and guide conservation actions. The CBC is one example of how good can win (Side Hunt, no link will be provided). Consider joining a Christmas Bird Count this year to learn more about Citizen Science and the importance of long term data sets (see CBC ).

You do the Math: The First Christmas Bird Count was held December 25, 1900. If 18,500 individual birds representing 89 different species were logged by the 27 participants, how many different birds were seen (on average) by each person? Check in the next blog post for the answer.

a line of styrofoam birds - all the same base shape, but decorated with marker to resemble specific species, including a puffin and a cardinal - sitting on a tabletop. — *These styrofoam birdies are going to be a science experiment of their own…. stay tuned!*

July 29, 2011April 28, 2021

Christopher Faist: It Happened, July 27, 2011

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Chris Faist
Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
July 20 — August 1, 2011

Mission: Cetacean and Seabird Abundance Survey
Geographical Area: North Atlantic
Date: July 27, 2011

Weather Data
Air Temp: 17 ºC
Water Temp: 17 ºC
Wind Speed: 15 knots
Water Depth: 4365 meters

Science and Technology Log

Well it happened. This morning I was taking care of a few things before heading to the observation post and while I was below deck they spotted Killer Whales. By the time I got to the deck the animals were gone. Initially, I was disappointed but the day continued with another sighting of Killer Whales, some Risso’s dolphins, a pod of Atlantic Spotted dolphins, a couple of Sperm Whales, a group of Sowerby’s Beaked Whales and a couple of Basking Sharks. This list of animals is long but keep in mind this was over the course of 11 hours of observation.

Marine Mammal Observers use a variety of strategies to keep themselves “fresh” and able to look for animals for long periods of time through every weather condition. The design of their survey procedure allows each observer to take a 30-minute break during each 2-hour session. This gives them time to rest their eyes, get out of the weather and get something to eat. Some of the other techniques to stay sharp may go unnoticed but are important and can only be learned from experienced observers.

Standing for hours and looking through binoculars on a rolling ship is not for everyone. After spending some time observing animals at sea I can pass along a few tricks. The days can be long but playing music can help keep the time moving. Talking to other observers keeps your mind engaged and helps to stay focused. When you start to feel like you need a jolt to stay awake try an Atomic Fireball. These small candies pack a spicy reminder that you need to stay alert. In this picture, one of the observers is holding her Fireball in her hand because she was not able to handle the intense heat.

To get a job as a Marine Mammal Observer you need to withstand these challenges while maintaining your ability to tell the difference between a splash and a white cap from three miles away. Once you do detect the animal you still need to identify the animal with only a quick glimpse of the animal. Below are a few pictures taken recently for you to test your skills. Can you use the links above to correctly ID the animals?

Personal Log

Now that I have overcome my run in with seasickness, life at sea is great. We are so far out, over 200 nautical miles, that we have lost our satellite TV connection and that is fine with me. I have seen a variety of species for the first time and I am enjoying being surrounded by people who share my passion for the ocean and marine mammals.

September 15, 2010April 22, 2021

Thomas Ward, September 15, 2010

NOAA Teacher At Sea: Thomas Ward
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman

Mission: Fisheries Surveys
Geographical Area of Cruise: Eastern Bering Sea
Date: September 15, 2010

At Sea

The science is going forward with rigor here on the Miller Freeman. If you get a chance you should go back to this link http://shiptracker.noaa.gov/default.aspx so that you can see the area that we have covered. I also made an error in reporting that the seas that made me sick were 9 foot seas when they were actually 12 foot seas. The forecast calls for flat seas, 2 feet, through Friday. I have received a few questions through the blog and I will try to address them here.

The first one is about the marine mammals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_mammal that we have encountered while out at sea. On board with us is a bird observer and his secondary function is to identify and count any marine mammals. He reported to me the following list; Killer Whale, Humpback Whale, Harbor Porpoise, Dall’s Porpoise, Fin Whale, Minke Whale, Northern Fur Seal and Steller Sea Lion. I was lucky enough to see the Humpbacks and even saw one breech, jump out of the water and land on its side. An interesting fact about the fur seal is that they will stay at sea for up to 8 months and only come to land to breed.

Another question that I received is regarding a picture that I have posted on my blog. It was a picture of a volcanic mountain, Mount Shishaldin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Shishaldin A description of this volcano is sufficient in understanding the characteristics of it but its majesty is truly appreciated viewing it in person.

Someone asked if the jellyfish could be petted? We do handle them with gloves on. They are not significant in our study at all. We pull them out of our catch and throw them overboard. They are relatively difficult to pick up and their tentacles are very stringy. They are surprisingly heavy and of course jelly like. While we have gear down and we are moving very slowly, 1-3 knots, at certain locations you can look down and see them swim by, pretty cool. E

We have been blessed here with good weather. The website for the agency that operated my program can be found by going to this linkhttp://www.noaa.gov/ If you were to look around this site you may notice a function of NOAA is to forecast the weather. I believe it is one of the most important factors in people’s lives. When you have a dependable agency predicting weather people can make better plans for what they may want to do. The site that I personally frequent is with in this link http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/index_lite.php

To find Central New York’s radar, which shows precipitation, click on the link and mouse over Central New York and click. The Montague radar should come up. Montague New York, the town that received 8 feet of snow in one storm a few years ago. It is no surprise though seeing that it is in the Tug Hill Plateau and orographic lifting http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/dvlp/org.rxml happens to air masses coming off Lake Ontario here. We call it lake effect snow. When on this site in the upper left corner is a grid with adjacent radars. Most weather moves across our country with the southwest prevailing winds. So if you click on the grid to the left, Buffalo radar for example you can see what is coming your way.